The present invention relates to storage of labels in a printing device and is particularly concerned with a printing device where the label size is not predetermined by a particular label stock.
There are now known thermal printing devices which produce labels having a length corresponding to a message to be printed as defined by a user. Such devices operate with a supply of tape arranged to receive an image and a means for transferring an image onto the tape. In one known device, a tape holding case holds a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of an image transfer ribbon, the image receiving tape and the transfer ribbon being passed in overlap through a print zone of the printing device. At the print zone, a thermal print head cooperates with a platen to transfer an image from the transfer ribbon to the tape. A printing device operating with a tape holding case of this type is described for example in EP-A0267890 (Varitronics Inc). In this printing device, the image receiving tape comprises an upper layer for receiving an image which is secured to a releasable backing layer by a layer of adhesive.
In another device, the construction of the image receiving tape is such that the upper image receiving layer is transparent and receives an image on one of its faces printed as a mirror image so that it is viewed the correct way round through the other face of the tape. In this case, a double-sided adhesive layer can be secured to the upper layer, this double-sided adhesive layer having a releasable backing layer.
This latter arrangement is described for example in EP-A-0322918 and EP-A0322919 (Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha), and in EP-A-0487312 (Esselte N.V.).
Printing devices of this type also include a display means and an input means such as a keyboard for selecting characters to be printed. Selected characters are displayed on the display means and in this way a user can compose a label to be printed. When a label has been composed a print instruction is given and the printing device proceeds to print a label. Printing devices of this type also include cutting means to cut off the printed portion of the tape to enable it to be used as a label. For use as a label, the releasable backing layer is removed from the upper layer to enable the upper layer to be secured to a surface by means of the adhesive layer. In this way, labels having a length and character arrangement determined by a user can be made.
It is useful in label printing devices of this type to be able to store labels which have been formulated by a user for subsequent use. EP 0607024 (Esselte N.V.) describes a label printing device in which labels are stored under corresponding key words or tags. Thus, a user can attempt to find a label by entering a key work or tag and scrolling through possible labels.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a more user-friendly and simple to use label access arrangement.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a printing device comprising: a display, user input means for inputting characters to be printed by the printing device and including cursor control means for controlling the position of a cursor on the display and function control means for controlling functions of the display: a controller responsive to the cursor control means and the function control means to control the printing device; and a label memory comprising a storage portion having a plurality of storage sections; wherein the controller is operable in a label access mode to display a plurality of label access elements, each label access element representing a respective storage section in the storage portion of the memory, and responsive to said cursor control means to access a selected storage section of the storage portion associated with the label access element identified by the position of the cursor.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of storing label data in a label memory, the label memory comprising a storage portion having a plurality of storage sections, the method comprising the steps of; displaying a plurality of label access elements on a display of the printing device, each label access element representing a respective storage section in the storage portion of the label memory; detecting the position of a cursor movable on the display; and accessing a selected one of said storage sections associated with the label access element identified by the cursor position.
In the described embodiment, the label access elements comprise boxes which, when black, denote a full storage section (that is one containing label data), and, when clear, denote an empty storage section.
A user can store label data into a selected storage section by entering a store mode of operation, placing the cursor below the desired label access element and pressing a return key. This has the effect of storing label data held in a working portion of the memory into the selected storage section denoted by the label access element selected by the cursor.
Label data can be recalled from a storage section into the working portion of the label memory for subsequently editing and/or printing by entering a recall mode of the device, placing the cursor under the selected label access element and pressing the return key. This causes the data held in the storage section denoted by the selected label access element to be transferred into the working portion for editing and/or printing. A copy is retained in the storage section unless a clear operation is implemented by the user to delete the label data from the storage section.
It will be appreciated that one way of implementing the above-referenced aspects of the invention is to associate the position of the cursor, which is held in the working portion of the label memory in an edit part thereof, with an address used for accessing the storage portion of the label memory, such that each position of the cursor identifies a particular address for accessing one of the storage sections.
In the described embodiment, the display is provided into first (upper) and second (lower) display portions. The sequence of label access elements are displayed in the upper portion, while the first line of a label stored in the storage section denoted by the position of the cursor is displayed in a lower portion of the display.
The printing device can comprise a single casing which houses, together with the features of the invention, a printing mechanism for printing the print data derived from the label data on a column-by-column basis. The printing mechanism can comprise a thermal dot print head for example. Feeding means can be provided for feeding tape past the printing mechanism, such tape being housed in a cassette located in a cassette bay of the printing device.
For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings.